Blackberry Jam

(picture by me)

There are a ton of blackberries ripening in my backyard right now.

My blackberry bushes have spread tremendously since I've moved into this house in 2002.

Instead of letting all those delicious fruits go to waist, I've decided to make jam.

For the amount of berries I have, The jam should last my family for a few months or more.

This is the first time I've ever preserved jam.

Here's a recipe for anyone who may also have easy access to a lot of blackberries. This particular recipe doesn't use refined sugar as a sweetner. Fruit juice is used instead.

(Picture by me)

 You will need jam mason jars and new lids. Run the jam jars through the dishwasher to sanitize them. Place flat lids in water that has almost reached a boil. remove from heat and let the lids sit in the water until ready to jar the jam.

For the jam:

2 cups of fresh picked blackberries

1/3 cup of fruit juice(grape or pear or both mixed)

1 1/2 Tbs of "Ball" no sugar needed pectin

Crush the berries in a bowl with a potato masher, but leave it chunky.

Place the crushed berries in a saucepan and add the fruit juice to the pan. Slowly stir in the pectin and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring almost constantly.

Once the berries have gotten so they can't be stirred down, boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Using a canning funnel fill sterilized jam jars quickly and leave 1/4 inch of space between the jam and the rim. Wipe off any access jam that may have gotten on the edge of the jar and and place a dried flat lid on jar, then screw the cap tightly. Place the jars on a towel to cool for 24 hours before storing.

Once they've been sitting for 24 hours, check to see which jars sealed by pressing down on the top of the lids.

If they pop up, they did not seal and you can store them in the refrigerator for immediate use. If they sealed they will be secure with no noise when pressing the tops. These can be stored for later use.

(Picture by me)